Luxia in the Theater District

Everyone seems to be looking for chowish Theater District spots above and beyond the usual suspects. Well, here’s a good one: Luxia. Standouts on the pan-Mediterranean menu include zippy red pepper penne, roast chicken with balsamic glaze, and a gorgeous country salad of frisee, gorgonzola, apple, and bacon in sherry-walnut dressing. They also have a deft hand with seafood—hounds praise the clam chowder, crab cakes with paprika aioli, and plump, perfect mussels in garlic and white wine broth.

For theatergoers and other early diners who order by 6:15 p.m., there’s a $32 prix fixe three-course dinner. If the weather’s good, check out their garden: ”serene and charming, a world away from these mean streets,” sighs Deb Van D.